Low Fall Prices

[KAKcruiser]

I am seeing last minute bargains on a lot of the fall sailings. The best deals seem to be on 10 day cruises. This is also the first year I have seen bargains on holiday cruises. I wonder why the cruise lines don't just lower their prices earlier in the year. I would think it would be better to sell cabins at a moderate price rather than the deep discounts they are offering now.

[AAAAmerican]

Yes we also had a phenominal low pricing now on the HAL ship. The other one was even lower .

 

With fuel coming down, more ships and less passengers to target martket it is a normal practice to lower the pricings and give incentives to the T/A's too ..

 

Once HAL starts doing Network TV/Radio Commercials here in the Greater NYC ARea as RCL:NYSE and NCL then the ships will fill more.

 

But that does take someone which is good at that market vision... well not really ..my 18 yr old nephew in the Citadel would do a better job.

 

HAL can ya hear me now..?:eek:

 

I am seeing last minute bargains on a lot of the fall sailings. The best deals seem to be on 10 day cruises. This is also the first year I have seen bargains on holiday cruises. I wonder why the cruise lines don't just lower their prices earlier in the year. I would think it would be better to sell cabins at a moderate price rather than the deep discounts they are offering now.

[kryos]

I am seeing last minute bargains on a lot of the fall sailings. The best deals seem to be on 10 day cruises. This is also the first year I have seen bargains on holiday cruises. I wonder why the cruise lines don't just lower their prices earlier in the year. I would think it would be better to sell cabins at a moderate price rather than the deep discounts they are offering now.

It's sort of like playing the stock market ... sometimes you hit, and sometimes you lose. In this case, obviously HAL is losing.

 

You keep the prices high hoping that you will have no trouble filling cabins at those prices. Maybe last year such was the case. But then ... if things are really sluggish and those cabins simply are not filling up, you drop the prices as much as possible.

 

HAL's bean counters have probably figured out that this is the best way to do things; that if the cabins fill up at the higher prices, they will make a lot of money. If they start off the prices low, they will surely fill them faster ... but then who knows how much money the line may have lost in higher fares that they could have gotten for those cabins.

 

I don't know why the prices are so low ... maybe because of the price of gas over this past year, people are really stretched with their budget and can't afford to think about a holiday cruise? Maybe that's why the cabins weren't moving and now HAL is steeply discounting them? Obviously such could not have been the case last year, if they were priced at those levels or higher this year. Clearly last year, HAL must have had no trouble filling those holiday sailings at premium prices.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I agree there has been some very strange price droppings, yet not all categories on all ships. Example our up coming March 17th cruise ROV Cruise that EVERYONE IS INVITED TO JOIN US:D has had several categories drop drastrically. First one was our SC Corner aft. It had been just a few dollars less than a SA and a SB which are running $2900 per person (Which is totally crazy to begin with) the SC has dropped dow to aobut $1575 PP our 5187 cabin is now $800+less than we paid for it in Feb 2006. Then the SY Category dropped about $600 per person making it about$995 per person which it is now $200 less PP than a VC and $300 PP less than a VA:confused: Right now there are some prices lower than I have ever seen before. I do not think I have ever seen the SS/SY category for $2000 for the week for two people. Plus my $3100 for my corner aft is very thrilling. SeaGypsy1(who is cruising w/the Spamdammers right now) was able to change her SS to a SC just below us for this cruise for less money than she planned to pay for her SS.

If anyone is interested in joining us and get some of these GOOD:) prices that Have just appeared emailed me and I will help you join our fun group:D

[hammybee]

 

I don't know why the prices are so low ... maybe because of the price of gas over this past year, people are really stretched with their budget and can't afford to think about a holiday cruise? Maybe that's why the cabins weren't moving and now HAL is steeply discounting them? Obviously such could not have been the case last year, if they were priced at those levels or higher this year. Clearly last year, HAL must have had no trouble filling those holiday sailings at premium prices. Blue skies ...--rita

 

The reason why prices are so low is competition. There is a glut of cabins in the Caribbean begining in late October that persists all winter. This is why charters and groups are so lucrative for the cruise lines. They transfer the cost and risk of filling the cabins to someone else. It is also the obvious reason why HAL pulls completely out of the Caribbean in the summer.

[KAKcruiser]

But, come January, the prices go up again. Aren't the same number of cabins available? Are people afraid of the fall hurricane season? Are they preparing for the holidays? Do people like to get away from the bad weather in January, February and March?

[Randyk47]

For those of you who want to or can cruise during the Fall months this is great news. Got to say the "high" season Winter (January thru March) cruises are not such a bargain right now and are still reflecting pretty substantial increases over the same cruises last year. Cutting fares for this Fall probably puts pressure on the cruise lines to hold the line as long as they can for the Winter cruises to try to even out or at least improve the books the best they can. Not good for us Winter folks. :) :(

[hammybee]

I have read that Fall travel is seasonally depressed everywhere, even places not prone to hurricanes.

 

Those with kids are out of the market. Many people have blown their vacation time for the year. There is a huge push to complete business objectives before year end. And of course, many prefer not to risk a vacation during hurricane season.

 

And so, for those that can and do, Fall is often the best all around value.

[xpcdoojk]

Fall equal hurricane season. Fall equal kiddies in school, and teachers and kiddies can't take a cruise easily.

 

Starting to see the picture now?;)

 

jc